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drama has been pitting one of hollywood's biggest stars against what he calls a stalker. >> alec baldwin said it was something out of a hitchcock movie the way the canadian actress pursued him. >> she is telling a different story. here's abc's nick watt. >> reporter: alec baldwin cried in a new york city courtroom as he described his living nightmare. baldwin claimed he was stalked by this woman -- a two-bit canadian actress. >> i will say it loud and clear that i'm innocent since day one. >> reporter: baldwin claims she would bombard him with up to 30 text messages a night. here's one. "say i do to me." he said she showed up at his hamptons home, that she bombarded him with salacious e-mails and here's a taster dished up in court. "i want to feel you, taste you, and make one with you for eternity. i will nourish you with my

energy, power, and magic." last year, she was arrested outside of baldwin's home. she claims it was a misunderstanding that she and baldwin were once lovers. >> you want to go for closure with your ecolover? you have a relationship and romance for months and months and we have many friends in common. it is normal. >> reporter: baldwin denies any relationship and described it out of something out of a hitchcock movie. dr. reid molloy studies the psychology of stalking and believes modern celebrity culture may fuel the problem. >> the more the magazines humanize the celebrity figure the more it can reduce that space between the stalker and the celebrity figure. >> these stalkers believe the celebrities are actually talking directly to them. >> reporter: anyway, back to alec baldwin and genevieve who apparently first met in 2000 when he was in canada shooting "the aventures of pluto nash." ten years later, they had dinner in new york. baldwin was married to his

then-girlfriend and said that she was asking for acting advice. she claims they became intimate. >> are you a stalker? >> no, i'm not. >> no, i am not. >> he maintained a relationship with me while he was with her and that's why he created the fear. get away from genevieve, she's dangerous. >> reporter: in court baldwin vehemently denied there was ever a sexual relationship at which point she screamed, "really?" the judge threatened to throw her out of court. she shouted, "he's living to you." baldwin leaving court, clearly agitated. nick watt in los angeles. >> somebody is doing a lot of lying. >> oh, wow. >> very different take on what went down. >> there's not even one thing they agree on. >> a sexual relationship or none. >> or absolutely nothing, just one coffee meeting for questions about acting. >> apparently baldwin was really hard on her attorney, too. apparently he's a young guy and turning things around on him and saying, "i know you're nervous,"

telling the attorney, "i know you're nervous." apparently he was really working him over. >> by the way, she's been charged with 24 counts of harassment and one count of stalking. interesting to see where this will go. >> sure is. coming up, some elementary school students in new york may be setting a trend for the rest of the nation. they are trading in burgers and chicken nuggets for an all-vegetarian cafeteria menu, and they seem to like it. the verdict is in. we will tell you which city, new new york or chicago, gets bragging rights for the tallest building in america. you are watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. >> announcer:

♪ >> no, no, no, no spinach. ♪ >> no, no, no, no spinach. >> it may have ban tough sell

for shirley temple, but students in one elementary school are happily gobbling up their spinach and asking for more. >> hard to believe. their cafeteria switched from the usual fare to a healthier vegetarian menu and it seems to be working. >> reporter: at first glance it's like any other school cafeteria. but here at ps-244 in queens, new york, they are not serving up mystery meat. in fact, they have dropped meat from their menu altogether. this is the first public school in the country to serve only vegetarian options. >> it was never really initially about the vegetarianism as it was about helping them to understand that there's more choices out there. >> reporter: the idea controversial at first. >> we have had people saying, my kids are not vegetarians. why do they have to eat vegetarian meals? >> reporter: but the kids are eating it up. >> it tastes more than delicious. >> reporter: this has been the

challenge for other schools that started to serve healthier food in cafeterias. their options didn't taste quite this good. when the national school lunch program started to require participating schools to serve lower-calorie meals last year, some students revolted at the result and some school districts backed out of the program saying they were losing tens of thousands of dollars of food students refused to eat. but at ps-244, the secret to getting students to actually like healthy food isn't just in the recipes. it's in education. with weekly classes teaching students about making nutritious choices. since the switch to a vegetarian menu this spring, the school seems to have fewer students classified as overweight and obese and better test scores and attendance rates but parents and teachers say the true purpose of the health push is to reach kids early, creating habits they hope will last a lifetime. marci gonzalez, abc news, new york.

completely switching gears, recognize these guys? probably not on the menu at the school we just profiled, but we love these things anyway. >> help yourself to one of those. >> i will. >> today nabisco is celebrating the 100th birthday of the mallomar. look at how much it has changed. purists argue it must be enjoyed vertically, tasting the graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate all at once. >> on november 13th, 1913, predating the federal reserve. >> it's that old, my goodness. one of the only cookies covered in pure chocolate. >> because it's real chocolate and such a thin coating, they aren't available in the summer months. only on store shelves between october and april. >> 85% of all mallomars are sold in new york city area. isn't that weird? >> why we like these and people across the country are like what are these things and they are baked at a single nabisco plant in ontario, canada. they are delicious. >> we love mallomars. >> cheers to mallomars.

100 years young today. >> we love mallomars. >> cheers to mallomars. 100 years young today.

all right. time for "the mix," everybody. mom goes away and dad does goofy things with the kids. this is pretty goofy and pretty good. apparently he invented a game called candy challenge. he decided to put candy above the doorway and told his kids to get it. the 4-year-old and 3-year-old -- watch this. >> oh, my gosh. >> mom would have a heart attack. >> you have to love it, though. how in the world? >> check this out. >> come on, you can do it, logan. the candy challenge. >> oh, my god. >> they are like little spiderman. >> oh, my gosh! >> would you kill your husband if you came home and saw your

kid doing that? >> absolutely. >> it is a cool game. candy challenge. >> i can almost understand it because you run out of things to keep them occupied and tired. you can only challenge them to run around in the house less than a minute so many times before they get tired of that. >> too cool. >> that is cool. look at this, the coolest dog, first to ever climb mt. ever everest. coolest dog around. his name is ruffie. he was found in india and nursed back by his adopted owner. he could barely walk when they found him but once he was nursed back it health. he trekked ten days to get to base camp. there he is posing in triumph with all of the flags around him and the cutest thing. >> i wonder if he had socks or something on to protect from the salt. maybe a little oxygen, too. >> doesn't look like his owner is wearing a lot. i'm not sure what they were thinking. he did it and we have pictures to prove it. pretty cool. this next guy is unbelievable. it is hard enough to play guitar well and basketball well. >> sure.

you should know, you play guitar. >> i play both adequate. >> professional basketball player. >> thank you very much. ben laffs, 19-year-old from ohio. he is keeping the beat with the basketball, he is finger picking it without strumming. ♪ >> can you do that? >> yes. he can do this. two million hits on youtube. this guy is really talented, by the way. one of the youngest to compete in guitar championships in 2008. he has released three full-lethngtthangth albums. amassed 10 million hits on you tube. this one garnered 2 million alone. hats off to him. talented fella. 19 years old. good for him. another rescue dog to tell you about. this one is not because he climbed mt. everest but he can do cool tricks. he is a rescue dog. there he is climbing around on these sticks and jumping pole to pole. >> you expect that from a cat but not a dog. >> video is gone viral.

>> cute.

this morning on "world news now" arctic blast. it's feeling more like january or february as far south as georgia and texas this morning after a snowstorm slams the great lakes. today's extreme conditions coming up. struggling survivors. chaos in the philippines. those fighting to get out of the typhoon area. and the challenge to get the basics in to those who need them. mothers paid to breast-feed their babies. the pros and cons of a controversial incentive. and superstar complaints. why lady gaga is upset after her picture landed in a popular fashion magazine. that is in "the skinny" on this wednesday, november 13th. ♪ >> announcer: from abc news this is "world news now" with john muller and diana perez.

>> really has gotten cold in new york city. i actually busted out the big bubble puffy jacket. put on my hat and gloves walking to the car. >> you did the whole thing. >> i did. at my age, i don't care about being fashionable -- i'm not worried about being macho. i'm a wimp. i want to be warm. you haven't been bundled up? >> i have been wearing my bubble coat for some time now but haven't gone so as far as the hat and gloves. we go from summer -- last week it was 70, and book, wintertime. that means winter from november to march. >> good times, good times. should we get to it? >> yes. >> we aren't the only ones. the arctic blast has reached the south. it brought the first few flakes of the season to raleigh, north carolina, and a few inches to the higher elevations. >> and it will be chilly as far south as georgia and alabama. ginger zee has more on this early taste of winter. >> reporter: the blowing, the

snowing, the slipping, sliding, and even salt trucks crashing. >> i can feel myself losing traction quite a bit. first snow of winter. >> reality set in. it's like already? now? really? >> reporter: a highway came to a standstill in northern indiana thanks to lake effect snow. the snow brought on a 20-car pileup in buffalo, new york. from the first flakes flying in worcester, massachusetts, to this little girl basking in well over a foot in southwest michigan. look at the temps slipping in the teens and 20s in the great lakes and the first full freeze from boston to new york city. the south is not spared. freezing as far south as dallas and atlanta to the gulf coast. while the 10 to 20-degree below-average chill will be short-lived, aaa is reminding us it is time to get vehicles going. keep cat litter or salt in case

you get stuck. have a basic tool kit with pliers and a wrench and a penny. it is that simple to find out if you need new tires. put a penny in your tire tread. put it head first. if you can see all of lincoln's head you need new tires if it is past his hairline your tires are fine. we're doing the test. i saw most of lincoln's head so this tire should be good for the season. there are 600,000 winter-related accidents every year. you want to get out and do the penny test on your car. ginger zee, abc news. >> well, as ginger said, it's been very cold overnight in the east. and folks in texas and the southeast will have a rude awakening with the arctic chill reaching them by morning. but most everywhere else will be dry. at least there's that. few spots of rain and new york. we have showers for you in south florida. >> 76 in miami, 47 d.c. boston 38. dallas 52. denver 67 and beautiful 83 in los angeles. if you had any questions about

the power of nature, take a look at these new satellite photos. this is one showing tacloban city in the philippines before the typhoon. green farmland, colorful buildings along the coast. check this out. this is what it looks like today. >> oh, my gosh. >> muddy, lifeless, nearly every one of the buildings gone. even the sea is brown. >> five days after typhoon haiyan struck, the delivery of relief supplies is speeding up. but tacloban city is one of the most desperate places on earth. filtering water through t-shirts. aid ships from the u.s. and elsewhere are on the way, but the need is enormous. more cargo ships are arriving at the airport where thousands are gathering. abc's terry moran was there. >> reporter: this was the waiting area of tacloban's airport. you can see the storm surge tore the place apart. believe it or not, this is one of the only places in the city that is still functioning. this is where people want to get to because this is where you can get out.

>> the confirmed death toll is under 2,000, but it's feared to be much higher. today many bodies will be buried in mass graves. we have learned that two americans are among the dead. the first tsa officer killed in the line of duty was remembered at a memorial service yesterday. gerardo hernandez shot to death earlier this month at a los angeles airport. the shooting suspect still in the hospital. his condition has been upgraded to fair. across the country, in queens, new york, another memorial for the victims of flight 587 that crashed 12 years ago, two months after the terror attacks of 9/11. 265 people perished when the plane went down just after takeoff. yesterday hundreds of family and friends visited the seaside memorial braving chilly rains and winds to place flowers on the walls. president obama's approval rating dropped to an all-time low. 54% disapprove of the job he's doing. 39% back president obama. the latest poll shows the majority of americans, 52%, say

the president is not honest and trustworthy. the approval numbers dropped since october 1st. that's when obama care was rolled out. this isn't going to make the president feel better. another high-profile democrat urging changes to obama care. that is former president bill clinton. he said people should be allowed to keep the health insurance they have. president obama had originally promised that would be the case but then he was forced to backtrack. >> i personally believe even if it takes a change in the law, the president should honor the commitment the federal government made to those people and let them keep what they got. >> later this week, the administration will tell us how many managed to enroll in the coverage despite the problems with the website. here's the thing, president obama during that exclusive nbc interview that he had last week, he did bring this up. he said, "i regret that there are people -- even if it is a small population, 5% of people that are eligible for obama care that are seeing they have to change

their health care." he said, "i regret that we didn't craft the law correctly." he seems to insinuate there was room to bring these people in and at least the health care that they have even though it is sub par, it doesn't even meet the minimum expectations that they will be able to bring in and grandfathered in the system. so he is saying essentially what everyone is saying he should do. >> he is saying they are looking in to administrative options. falling short of clinton saying if you have to pass a law, pass a law, but whatever you do, honor what you said. >> will it go that way? >> we will have to see. major health news about the way doctors treat patients with heart attack risks. more than 30 million americans take statins to lower cholesterol. the number now could double. here's abc's dr. richard besser. >> reporter: they are life-saving drugs. the best we have for lowering the risk of heart attacks and strokes. statins. new guidelines that dramatically expand our use to one-third of all adults. >> we have always treated people who had a heart attack or stroke.

we will treat many more millions people who have not had a first event. that's a big deal. >> reporter: among the changes statins will be recommended for all people with type 2 diabetes, ages 40 to 75 regardless of cholesterol. the old guidelines recommended a statin if your risk of having a heart attack was over 20%. and other guidelines consider race and sex. and recommend statins if your risk is 7.5%. yesterday a 55-year-old african-american woman with normal cholesterol and high blood pressure wouldn't go on a statin. today she would. >> treating more people makes sense. it is important, however, that we treat the right people. >> statins are generally safe. some people may experience muscle pain or risk of diabetes. if you are at low risk do you want to go on a drug to lower your risk any further? dr. richard besser, abc news, new york. new moms in parts of new england are paid to breast-feed

their babies. it is part of a pilot program aimed at promoting the benefits of breast milk into women in deprived areas. mothers who nurse until the baby is six months old will receive shopping vouchers worth 300 bucks. doctors say the program rewards some moms but isolates others. >> certain number of mothers maybe at a disadvantage or feel bad because of this and these are the small number of moms that cannot breast-feed their babies. >> united kingdom has one of the worst breast-feeding ratings in the world. some say the incentive to breast-feed should not be money. while they are talking about that stuff in europe -- it's time to take a trip to the netherlands. this is our "favorite story of the day" and we are off to the tracks down the stretch they come. it is a harness race but not only horses. there's a rabbit. you see him? >> yes. >> check out how fast he is. he takes first place. maybe that's not a surprise given the fact the rabbit wasn't pulling anything.

he took off at the end. he is like, "got it." >> maybe the horses are really pooped at this point. >> i'm still amazed at that rabbit. >> i have a feeling nobody was betting on the fact the rabbit was going to win, place or show. >> do you think he was saying, "you are not so fast," or you think he is running for his life? >> i wonder if we placed a harness like on the rabbit how fast he would go. >> still win. super rabbit little hare. picture of sexy sofia vergara. too racy for "modern family"? find out who took it. and who wins the title -- does new york or chicago have the nation's tallest building? we have an answer. you are watching "world news now." ♪ higher and higher >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by united health care. health care. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options.

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the verdict is in for kevin trudeau. it took a jury in chicago just 45 minutes to find the controversial author guilty of criminal contempt of court. >> he was on trial for lying about the content of his weight loss book and infomericals. >> reporter: kevin trudeau was all smiles when the day began but showed no emotion as the guilty verdict was read. >> we're disappointed in the verdict. we hoped it would come out the other way. >> reporter: there were hugs and tears from the crowds of supporters who attended his trial daily. >> this is a book everybody should have. >> reporter: some apparently traveling a long way. care to make a statement about the verdict? >> thousands of people around the world whose lives are

changing because of him, whether he is locked up or not. and i think that speaks volumes. >> reporter: prosecutors saw it differently. saying he misled people to buy diet books. >> would you like to lose up to ten pounds in the first 24 hours? >> reporter: the 50-year-old man was found guilty of contempt of court for violating a agreement with the federal government to stop air g the ads. his best-selling book, "the best cure they don't want you to know about," called for a 500-calorie-a-day diet. he lied about what his in his book says the prosecutor in his closing argument. they weren't little fibs. blatant misrepresentations. the defense contended they were no different from any other ad for any other product. >> he didn't misrepresent the content of the book because what was in the book was said in the infomerical. >> reporter: the judge will have wide discretion in sentencing. with no minimum or maximum punishment stipulated in the sentencing guidelines. at the same time,

trudeau owes $37 million from a civil judgment. the court is still trying to collect. abc news, chicago. rare move. listen to this. the judge revoked his bail and ordered the marshals to take him right to custody. white-collar defendants are usually allowed to wait. not this guy. took him right away. >> he will be sentenced in february. and another, i think, rare move because of lying, although the lies apparently -- there are many, many lies. and he affected a lot of people, anywhere from probation to life in prison. >> wow. >> i'm trying to wrap my mind around losing ten pounds in 24 hours. >> it is a mischaracterization of what is in the book. stop it, john. >> we will let the court decide on that one. i guess they already did. coming up, the superstar slamming a fashion magazine for fakery. a young star's intense criticism aimed directly at miley cyrus. it is coming up next in "the skinny." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. us russ. ny." it is coming up

i ♪ skinny so skinny >> welcome though the "the skinny." lady gaga taking "glamour" magazine to task. but she was receiving an award on monday and e took but she was receiving an award on monday and she took the stage and said, of their air brushing, i thought my skin looked too

perfect. i thought my hair looked too soft. i do not look like this when i wake up in the morning. she went on to essentially challenge the magazine. she said i want to see the change on your covers. when covers change is when culture changes. >> i can respect it. i might look fantastic but it is not really me. >> agree. and i think lady gaga made her biggest statements when she said things like be herself to all of her little monster followers. her big thing is this is me, love me, leave me, whatever and you should feel the same way. i love to see her take these magazines that have for a long time had this problem with their covers and say come on, guys. she is so influential. good for her. >> good for this woman, too. jennifer lawrence, the 23-year-old star of "hunger games" she is a role model and takes it serious. she said sex may sell but she is not buying it.

she told bbc news night, that sexualization of women like miley cyrus is not cool. listen to what she said. >> sex sells and for some disgusting reason young sex sells more. we have the ability to control this image that young girls will be seeing. we need to make -- girls see enough of this body that we can't -- we will never be able to obtain. unrealistic expectations. >> jennifer lawrence said she makes conscious decisions to be a role model when it comes to her younger audiences and she thinks it is wonderful to be a role model and happy young girls have a character like that. my daughter loves this movie. she loves the character katniss. bravo to her. selena gomez said similar thoughts a few weeks back. things. neither one of them are being prudy. they are just saying you don't have to be gross. great message. >> they are not naming names but it seems to be directed at the all-famous, always over sexual blatantly miley cyrus and they are about as young as she is. miley is 19, she's 23.

selena i think is 20. so that's great stuff. a left turn from the sexualization of women. this is funny and the person at the center of this took pleasure in this as well. this is a tweet sent out by eric stonestreet of -- look. there he is. with his co-star sofia vergara. >> hello. >> they work together on the abc hit. this is something he tweeted with a caption that said, "ugh, work." obviously he was insinuating it is so difficult to work around sofia vergara's bum. that's what that's a picture of. she wrote back in another tweet, "eric," with an angry face emoticon. i think it was in jest and she's been funny and irreverent and fun to be around. >> creepy shot that people get arrested for like in the department store.

>> he plays the gay character on the show but is actually not gay. >> is that right? >> that's right. >> i love that. i was so convinced. i love. that i was so convinced. that i was convinced. . then real people were asked to stay for a long weekend. would they smell anything? the room itself was like [sniffs] ahhh. feels like someone has pumped fresh oxygen into the room. [ male announcer ] on the last day we revealed everything. [ both ] oouugghhh. we were sitting right on it. febreze is stunningly effective. [ laughing ] [ male announcer ] pluggable febreze eliminates odors and keeps your home continuously fresh for up to 30 days, so you can breathe happy.

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♪ how beautiful is that? freedom tower in downtown manhattan. taking us higher and higher, the two tallest buildings in america. >> but it was down to the wire as to which was the tallest and now by official decree the winner is new york city. >> the decision may not have settled the matter entirely for many people. bob woodruff explains. >> reporter: when we climb to the top of the new one world trade, it felt like the top of the world. oh, my gosh. we know it will soon be officially the tallest building in america, beating out

chicago's willis tower in a fierce competition. when you line the two buildings up, the willis tower is 83 feet higher but when you add the freedom tower spire, it soars to a symbolic 1776 feet. the heated debate, does the spire count? the height committee's verdict, yes, it does. when one world trade is complete it will be the third tallest building in the world. number two, saudi arabia mecca royal clock tower and in dubai is number one. topping us by 941 feet. engineers today say there is no reason we cannot build a building that's a mile high. the biggest problem -- altitude sickness, but they can pressurize the air for that. mostly they are built out of pride, ego, hubris. here in new york, we have reasons all of our own. do you have a message to americans when they see this being rebuilt? >> i say be proud of what's going up. >> america should be proud

knowing that we did it every day for everybody. >> reporter: bob woodruff, abc news, new york. >> we took this debate to our facebook page. we got striking responses. >> first of all, many are refusing to call the former sears tower by the new name, the willis tower. that's what its called guys, sorry. christopher writes, i don't care who bought the naming rights to the sears tower. it will always be the sears tower to me. that said, timothy writes, i'm six feet without shoes and a hat. does wearing high heels and a british wedding hat make me seven feet? >> by pamela, i think it should be determined by building and not needles in the air. >> those who voted for new york were unabashed. nancy says one world trade center just because it deserves to be the tallest. >> that's the problem in a lot of people's minds.

i thin

wow. college already. ( chuckles ) yeah. - ( engine starts ) - we gotta go. ♪ for all the truth that you made me see... ♪ i love you. ♪ for all the joy you brought to my life... ♪ i love you too, daddy. ♪ you're the one who saw me through... ♪ and thanks - for everything. - ♪ through it all... - ♪ you were my strength when i was weak... ♪ - ( woman speaks ) a message from the foundation for a better life.

good morning i'm john muller. >> and i'm diana perez. here's the top stories we are good morning i'm john ow." muller. >> and i'm diana perez. here's the top stories we are following on "world news now." the pace of the relief effort in the philippines is picking up but desperation is mounting too. five days after struck by one of the worst storms in history, millions remain without shelter, food, clean water, or any way out. much more in a moment. new guidelines for preventing heart attacks and strokes could double the number of americans on cholesterol lowering statin drugs. kevin trudeau was found guilty of lying about his weight loss look and infomericals that aired seven years ago. he could be sentenced to as long as life in prison. american airlines and u.s. airways a big step closer to merging and creating the world's largest airline. they settled the government antitrust suit yesterday by

agreeing to give up some of their operating rights at some major airports. those are some of our top stories on this wednesday, november 13th. >> announcer: from abc news this is "world news now" with john muller and diana perez. >> we want to tell you about a special appearance coming up later this half hour, our favorite aunt barbara is here. also known as auntie claus and she is spreading holiday cheer. everything she does is just a little, never over the top with aunt barbara. she is demure. >> yes she is. good to have her around. we begin this half hour with the fight for freedom. finally for a missouri man who spent nearly a decade behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. >> 29-year-old ryan ferguson was released from prison and reunited with his family. a week after his conviction for murder was overturned. we have the latest. good morning. >> reporter: john and diana,

ryan ferguson is waking up a free man for the first time in nearly a decade this morning. he maintained his innocence all along. his parents cashed in their retirement fund to fight for his release. tuesday, they finally got that justice. they waited so many years for. with a wave from the car window, ryan ferguson, his family by his side, finally vindicated. >> to get arrested and charged for a crime you didn't commit is incredibly easy and you can lose your life very fast. but to the get out of prison, it takes an army. >> reporter: ferguson was a college student in 2001, when police arrested him for the halloween night murder of sports editor ken tightheeled. police never had physical evidence connecting him to the scene but two witnesses testified against him. it was enough to convince the jury to convict ferguson, sending him to prison for 40 years.

the legal fortunes changed when the two men admitted they had lied under oath. ferguson, his family and supporters never wavered, claiming he was innocent. and last week, a missouri appeals court overturned the conviction. on tuesday, a decision by the state's attorney general to not retry or pursue further action set in motion ferguson's release. >> family and friends, attorneys willing to sacrifice so much. it's amazing to be here. >> reporter: ferguson said he thought he was being moved to another facility when he was told to pack up his bags. he didn't know he was a free man until he saw his lawyer holding up a sign that said it's over. john and diana? >> what a story. thank you. two americans kidnapped by pirates off the coast of nigeria have been released. the captain and engineer taken from the "sea retriever," an offshore supply vessel, last month. the state department refused to provide details but it is common

practice for ransom demands to be met before the sailors are freed. new satellite images this morning that show how ravaged parts of the philippines are after the typhoon hit. this is what it looked like before the storm struck. parts were crowded with homes, lots of places were green. this morning a very different place. most of the buildings are gone. everything that was green now covered in mud and entirely scarred. there are survivors even in tacloban city, and they are in desperate straits. more and more aid is arriving but that is half of the battle. getting it to people in need is a battle all in itself. marci gonzalez has the story. >> reporter: for many of the 11 million people impacted by super typhoon haiyan, survival is still a struggle. rain and thunderstorms adding insult to injury for the more than half million people left homeless. so many desperate for clean water and food. we can survive without this

house. it's okay for us. anywhe anywhere, we'll sleep anywhere. but food. we need food. >> reporter: in tacloban, bodies still lay in the streets. the stench of death is everywhere. >> just really death and devastation everywhere. people need help. >> reporter: health officials fear in these conditions disease will spread quickly. >> we have no water here and we just doing all of the resources, collecting rain water just for the use of emergency cases. >> reporter: relief operations are underway, but the process is ridden with problems. the airport in tacloban still has no radar or working air traffic control systems. planes carrying much-needed relief circle in the air space above, taking turns using the runway and when the supplies finally arrive, they are stuck because the roads are too damaged or flooded. as the situation becomes more dire, desperate people are taking matters in to their own hands. hundreds rushing in to this supermarket, stealing whatever

they could find. marci gonzalez, abc news, new york. >> not sure you can really call it stealing at this stage of the game. that is surviving. >> at this point. >> another set of before and after shots. let's put them up. they are pretty dramatic. this is the before. this is what it looked like after it was wiped away. just incredible. >> completely decimated. by the way, speaking -- going back to that airport in tacloban city, there are u.s. marines that are installing equipment there. not only to get this airport up and running so these planes can finally land with all of the things they need in a more efficient way than they are doing now, but also the new equipment will allow flights to land at night. that means these poor people who are waiting for anything, any kind of aid, they are not going to wait to spend another whole night before another plane can land. hopefully if they can get that one central nerve system going more people can go and get the aid and help. and whoever needs to get out can get out. >> no need to stick around there

right now. >> true. caroline kennedy leaving for tokyo tomorrow to take her new role as ambassador to japan. she was sworn in yesterday by secretary of state john kerry. the mother of three is the first woman to hold the post. she has no expertise in japan but her close relationship with president obama is seen as a diplomatic asset. >> president obama's approval ratings have dropped to an all-time low. 54% disapprove of the job he's doing. 39% are backing president obama. the latest poll shows the majority of americans, 52%, say the president is not honest and trustworthy. those approval numbers dropped significantly since october 1st. that's when obama care was rolled out. former president clinton is joining leading democrats in calling for changes to obama care. clinton says that president obama should honor his word and allow people to keep their health insurance, if they are happy with it. the white house says the president has instructed his health care team to look at a

range of options. history making nascar driver is talking about his medical condition for the first time. two years ago at the age of 20, trevor bayne became the youngest winner of the daytona 500 and now he says he has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. doctors confirmed he had ms in june, but he says he is not taking any medication and plans to race this weekend in south florida as well as all of next season. coldest air of the season invading the south with temperatures dipping in the 30s in cities like atlanta. arctic air brought snow to buffalo. causing a 20-car pileup. it is more like january than november but it won't last. there is a big warmup by the week's end. here's a look at the rest of the weather today. a chilly day for the east across to texas and the southeast. most of the country will be clear and dry. good news there. gusty winds around the great lakes with snow showers in western p.a. and new york. windy across florida with

showers to the south. 66 orlando, atlanta 50. new york 40. chicago 40. 64 salt lake and 85 phoenix. couldn't blame the staff of a hospital in east texas if you heard them singing the song "double vision" by foreigner. not at least after the past weekend. >> three sets of twins were born there. the little ones are sisters named madison and addison. identical twins julian and nicholas and david and isaac, fraternal twins. their parents say they are ready to get the bundles of joy home so they can begin their adventurous lives together. >> oh, yeah. >> that's a lot of kids. >> got three in there, diana? >> no. >> it is confirmed to be only one. >> it is confirme triple co only one in the oven. >> knock on some wood. you never know. there's is a little bundle of joy belonging to an old friend of ours. margaret meyers daughter of former "world news now" producer david meyer and his wife. >> that's rigt. pounds, six ounce

>> and mom katie is doing great. congrats to david and katie. maggie meyers. >> cool name. coming up, the splashy legal dispute with shamu and the rest of sea world in the middle of it. and later on a splashy visitor. coming up, it's me. you are watching abc "world news now." >> one and only aunt barbara is here spreading her holiday ♪ >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by gerber >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by gerbar life insurance. gerbear life insr life insurance.

a courtroom drama is playing out in washington that could forever change the way we see

water shows at sea world. >> t a courtroom drama is playing out in washington that could forever change the way we see water shows at sea world. >> the issue is whether human trainers should be allowed to swim with killer whales after the recent death of a trainer. abc's david wright has more. >> reporter: since the days of shamu, the bond between killer whales and their trainers have been the star attraction at sea world. dazzling families with acrobatic fetes and in 2010 they were -- feats, and banned from getting in the tank after a trainer was dragged to her death in florida. sea world asked the federal court to lift the ban. sea world argues having their trainers swim with whales is fundamental to its business. they argue banning it is like imposing speed limits at nascar races. making their case in court, eugene scalia, son of the supreme court justice. >> it is as if the federal government came in and told the nfl that close contact on the football field would have to end. >> reporter: the government's lawyer argued that sea world has a duty to keep its employees

safe. >> the hazard in this case is the risk of trainers getting bitten or grabbed and injured and killed by the killer whales by working very close to them. >> shamu's legacy now in the hands of a court. david wright, abc news, sea world, san diego. >> this is my opinion. i feel like we are approaching in the wrong way. we are going to take the trainers out, that's what the case is about, but we are confining wild animals to small tanks where they are clearly suffering according to the experts and so frustrated by being there. and the expert in the piece said even if they are trained by sea world it doesn't mean you are training the predatory nature out of them. they aren't predictable. >> it's very complicated because where does it then stop? do lions and tigers at the circus have to go back in the wild? they have predatory -- >> that is true. that is true. >> tough to decide. >> honestly, i'm one who believes that wild animals belong in the wild but then our zoos and circuses close and i

get the whole deal. >> tough one for sure. >> that's just my opinion. coming up a "world news now" annual pre-holiday favorite. >> aunt barbara in the house decked out as auntie claus. wait until you see what holiday goodies she has to show us. it is coming up next. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. wait until you see what holiday good

♪ welcome back. it is getting to be that time again for gifts and gathering by the fire and what a better way to welcome in the holidays with auntie claus. aunt barbara. >> auntie claus. oh, diana. >> they are here. >> the holidays are here and we are happy but we get stressed

out sometimes. you have to entertain, gift giving to do. >> i'm already stressed out. >> oh, are you? oh, dear. no. >> you are here to save the day. >> i'm here to help you. >> somehow. >> i want to talk about tupperware's ultra pro. these are revolutionary containers. they go from the freezer or refrigerator to the microwave oven to the oven. >> oh. >> up to 482 degrees. >> sounds like half of the time in cooking. >> you can cook in half of the time and tandem cook. meaning you can prepare several dishes in several containers at the same time and half of the time. >> that means everything you cooked months ago out of the freezer. >> take the lasagna out, defrost it, on to the table. >> nice and easy. >> the next is my favorite. you were talking about stress and chopping vegetables is the most stressful part of it. >> when we are prepping, watch this. this is fantastic. the tupperware choppers are

revolutionary. drop a few of your favorite vegetables in here. >> okay. >> a couple of carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, who knows what you're going to make, right? >> this looks like it will take some time. >> it does, doesn't it? >> no, no. you take that there. okay. and you pull the string. >> yes. okay. >> one, two, three. >> stop it right now. >> how fantastic is that? >> that works with any kind of vegetable? >> any kind of vegetable. you can put chicken, meats in there and chop them up. we have a smaller one for herb. you can chop them right up. look at that. how fantastic. >> how fantastic is that? >> and wait a minute, diana, when you are done chopping we have a whipping blade so you can whip with that, as well. or you can take that off, take the blades out and you can chop and seal in one container and it goes in the refrigerator. >> for family and friends i will

be bringing the vegetables. >> you are chopping and storing right there. only with tupperware. >> that is great. >> but the easy and fun doesn't stop there. >> no, it doesn't. have you ever bought one of those regular can openers at the food store with the rubber handle and that little metal bar? >> three at home. >> you put them on the side of the can and start to turn. what happens after a while? they start to slip. and you go, oh, dang it. mount the can like that, grab the can like that and all you do is screw. >> nothing is happening, aunt barbara. >> i don't know about that, dear. watch. okay. >> lift up. look at that. the entire seal comes off and there are no sharp edges. >> oh, my goodness. >> you are going to save thousands of dollars in band-aids. >> my 1-year-old can use this. >> it is fantastic. >> love this. >> if i wanted to, i could probably eat the cranberries out

there, fill it with dirt, glue it back on and take it to the supermarket. >> and nobody would know the difference. >> but we don't want you to do that. >> moving on to this, which is an interesting looking grater if you ask me. >> what type of cheese grater do you have at home? is it four sided? >> yeah. it's the traditional four-sided grater. is there one side you use more than the other three. >> there is only one side i use. >> that is this side. >> what do we do with the other three? >> some women use it as a ped-egg. what you're going to do with this, dear, you put it down on the table and as you grate your vegetables, cheese, chocolate it is in here. it is measurable. it is all collected in here, it is neat, clean and protecting your family and friends away from home invasion. >> exactly what we need during the holidays. don't go anywhere. as you can see, the rest of the table is filled with things we still have to get to. stay right where you are. we are coming right back with the rest of the holiday goodness from aunt barbara. ♪ of the holiday goodness from aunt barbara ♪

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♪ >> we're back, everyone. with one of our favorite guests of all time, famed tupperware sales woman, aunt barbara but today it is auntie claus. happy to have you. we are picking up where we left off. cookies and cake. >> diana, you are going to holiday parties and sometimes you are not sure what to bring. >> very true. >> i always suggest you take a tupperware container. fill it with a sweet treat. bring it to the party and leave it for the guest, the host. >> such a good idea. everybody wants some kind of tupperware container. >> it is practical. they can use it all year long. absolutely. >> the question everyone is asking is what do we do with the kids. >> oh, the children. >> especially when we talk about tupperware, kids don't come to

mind right away. >> no, they don't but with tupperware we have tupper toys, and all of the tupperware lunch products that the children love. >> this is a classic. >> look at the disney tumblers, too. >> look at how adorable these are. >> perfect stocking stuffers for the holidays. >> and perfect size for the little ones, too. what's all this over here? >> hello kitty couture lunch set. >> couture. >> love that. >> how exciting. >> and the disney princesses. >> this is excellent and the kids will take to this stuff because it has the stuff they like on it. >> absolutely. absolutely. and remember, when it comes to the sweets and tupperware treats your local tupperware representative can come to your home and demonstrate those products. this is the type of thing that tupperware hostesses earn when they have a party. >> very nice. look at this. >> have an in-home demonstration today. >> just because it is something you get for free as a hostess doesn't mean it is less of a quality of a product.

these are great. >> you can get anything from the catalog that you want when you host a party. >> see, that is something a lot of people didn't know. >> you get to choose. >> i have to ask, everybody is always asking about what aunt barbara, what can we do to connect with aunt barbara? you are on social media like nobody's business. >> i'm on the facebook, twitter and i have a website. >> tell everybody where they can find you. >> yourauntbarbara.com. look for me, tweet me, i'm all over. >> i have a feeling a lot of people will be tweeting and looking for you and tell me what is the one thing out of everything we have here, if i can't think of what to give my mom or somebody close to me as a gift, what's the one thing you would recommend from tupperware? would recommend for a gift. >> tupperware gift certificate. >> perfect gift. >> thank you so much for coming. of course we have more news coming up from abc. coming. of course we have more news coming up from abc.

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this morning, send help. the outcry from the philippines for the basics is heard worldwide. why food, water, and medicine is so difficult to deliver to the typhoon survivors struggling hour by hour. demands for justice. the florida mom sentenced to 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot. it is a battle cry over domestic violence. >> it was a warning shot for him to leave her alone. >> the bombshell case in the national spotlight, and a woman who could be let out of jail as early as today. fighting back. alec baldwin and a suspected stalker have their day in court. >> i say loud and clear i'm innocent since day one. >> the woman baldwin says would not leave him alone faces the judge. it is wednesday, november 13th. announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now" with

john muller and diana perez. happy hump day, everybody. we begin this half-hour in the philippines where relief efforts are picking up steam. >> there are around 2,000 confirmed deaths from the typhoon, and that number is only expected to go higher, much higher. many will be buried in mass graves today. two americans are now confirmed to be among the dead. >> terry moran is in the devastated city of tacloban. >> reporter: everyone wants out, and a few flights a day from tacloban's airport are turning into frantic mob scenes. aid efforts are ramping up, but the scale of this thing is so vast, the made it so great, at times it seems only a trickle of help has come here. filipinos are starting to fault their government and do it themselves. in one city, neighbors just loaded up a truck with rice and cans of food and went looking for people in need. >> we looked for a town that really needs help.

>> reporter: survivors are so desperate for water they are straining it through their t-shirts. disease is a huge concern now. for so many, any shelter will do. the president says he thinks the death toll will be far lower than the original estimate of 10,000, but there are still bodies everywhere yet to be found. you can smell them rotting in the tropical sun. the official death toll is 1744. the americans here who were caught in the storm's fury, tourists, students, long-time residents, missionaries they are getting out too. we met some when they landed at a manila air base. many safe now but shaken. >> i sat there and watched the water level praying it would not go higher. >> reporter: among the anxious americans watching stateside, steve and vicki from boulder, colorado, saw their 18-year-old son, simon, on "world news." >> apparently 50 kids got swept away. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: a happy ending for one american family. but for so many filipinos living

in this blasted landscape, they made it so much. in five days they have seen so little still. there's no end in sight. terry moran, abc news, tacloban, the philippines. >> for those in the u.s. trying to reach loved ones in the philippines, at&t and verizon are offering free text messages and calls. at&t wireless customers are eligible for unlimited calls and texts until the end of the month. landline and uverse customers get up to 60 minutes of direct-dial calling. verizon has similar offers and many deals are retroactive to last friday. two americans kidnapped by pirates off the coast of nigeria have been released and on the way home. the captain and engineer were taken off the supply vessel, the "sea retriever," three weeks ago. the state department refused to provide details but it is common practice for ransom demands to be met before they are free. to missouri where a man is free from prison after having his murder conviction overturned.

ryan ferguson served eight years for killing the sports editor of a local newspaper. last week, a state appeals court ruled that ferguson did not receive a fair trial. the state attorney general says there will be no retrial. a clearly relieved ferguson thanked family and friends last night. >> to get arrested and charged for a crime you didn't commit is incredibly easy and you can lose your life very fast. but to get out of prison it takes an army. >> reporter: ferguson's case gained national attention because of a bizarre twist. his high school classmate claimed to have recalled in dreams years after the fact that he and ferguson carried out the murder. the classmate recanted his testimony but is still behind bars. in another case supporters say is a gross miscarriage of justice. a florida woman may find out today if she will be freed on bail. she was sentenced 20 years for firing a shot near her husband and stepchildren. >> drop all the charges!

>> reporter: marisa alexander and her supporters across the country hoping a florida judge will release her from jail. >> women have the right to defend themselves. >> reporter: the mother of three has been in jail since february 2011, sentenced to 20 years in prison, not for murder but firing a warning shot in to a wall at her home during a fight with her husband. it was a warning shot for him to go away and leave her alone. >> reporter: in court, each testified the was abusive. but now even her ex-husband said her prison sentence was too severe. >> i didn't want my wife to go to prison. i wanted to help her. >> she told cnn she was fighting to stay alive that night. >> this is my life i'm fighting for. this is my life and it's my life, it is not entertainment. it is my life. >> reporter: alexander's lawyers argued she was standing her ground but she was convicted in march of 2012. an appeals court has just come to her rescue ordering a new trial, saying the judge gave the

jury wrong instructions. prosecutors say they are ready to try her again. >> the facts are facts. facts don't change. so we will put the same facts to the law and give the proper jury instruction this time. >> reporter: at the bail hearing she'll ask to be released while she waits to stand trial in april. she hopes to see her children before christmas. abc news, atlanta. >> so many people shaking their heads on this one because george. >> sad for a woman who was at the moment defending herself. at least she says she was. all she wants is to be back with her family before the holidays. that's completely understandable. seems like it might happen for her which is wonderful news if everything plays out well in court this time. >> yeah. warning shot seems different from firing at somebody. >> absolutely. >> the good news is hopefully by today, we'll learn some good news for her.

she'll be able to see her kids. >> her ex-husband says he done want her to go prison and thinks the sentence is too much. >> he says -- shot was fired into the air. everybody was okay. >> correct. moving on, american airlines' proposed merger with usairways is now all but cleared for takeoff. the two carriers are forming the world's biggest airline. they settled a government antitrust case yesterday by giving up 15% of their operating rights at airports that serve washington, d.c., and new york city. they could create opportunities for low-fare carriers, but some analysts say that's not enough. >> the low-cost airlines aren't going to fly to regional cities. they will take the brunt of airfare hikes in the future. >> american and u.s. airways also gave up gate space at airports in boston, chicago, l.a., dallas and miami. a federal judge must sign off on this deal. the companies expect to finish their merger by the end of next month. a staggering new record in

the art world. the painting by francis bacon the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction. the triptik was purchased at christie's in new york last night for $142,405,000. that's crazy. that's crazy. >> oh, my gosh. >> look at that. >> anyway -- >> i know. the masterpiece was snatched up >> the masterpiece snatched up by an unidentified buyer after a six-minute bidding war. why couldn't i have found that in my basement? that would have been great. >> i feel so ignorant when it comes to things like that. i never heard or seen it before. >> you hear about monets but francis bacon, i'm not familiar with it, too. >> is the guy on a swing, or was -- what makes it a masterpiece besides it is francis bacon? >> that's what makes it a masterpiece. >> that's all it is. i need to start painting. i'm in the wrong profession.

toronto mayor rob ford faces his critics in the first city council meeting since he admitted he smoked crack. >> that did not stop ford from participating in a somewhat surreal scene yesterday where he spent five hours at city hall autographing the bobblehead dolls made in his likeness. hundreds of people paying $20 each for the so-called "robby bobby." >> the proceeds will go to charity, they are going to united way. the toronto city council could call for legislation to remove ford from office if he doesn't voluntarily take a leave of absence. who knows if that is going to happen. >> this guy must be incredibly compelling. we don't know a lot about him here, but for him to have all this going on and people make him a cult figure he must be something. >> not everybody gets a bobblehead. >> you have to be loveable to get a bobblehead. y in doubt about that one. -- no doubt about that one. coming up -- >> celebrating a snack. celebrating your need for sweets. we have these mallomars and what makes them so special. >> eating healthy, not in the

mallomars. no meat is served here and the students have no beef with that. you are watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" brought to you by lime away turbo power. brought to you by lime away turbo power. um, hello. these ugly stains are ruining my good looks and style. and good luck using that cleaner. excuse me, miss ? he's right. those are tough hard water stains, and that cleaner's not gonna cut it. truth is, 85% of us have hard water and many don't even know it. you need lime-a-way. lime-a-way is specially formulated to conquer hard water stains. it's 4 times more effective at removing lime scale than the leading bathroom cleaner. see the lime-a-way difference or your money back.

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hollywood's biggest stars against what he calls a stalker. >> alec baldwin said it was something out of a hitchcock movie the way the canadian actress pursued him. >> she is telling a different story. here's abc's nick watt. >> reporter: alec baldwin cried in a new york city courtroom as he described his living nightmare. baldwin claimed he was stalked by this woman -- a two-bit canadian actress. >> i will say it loud and clear that i'm innocent since day one. >> reporter: baldwin claims she would bombard him with up to 30 text messages a night. here's one. "say i do to me." he said she showed up at his hamptons home, that she bombarded him with salacious e-mails and here's a taster dished up in court. "i want to feel you, taste you, and make one with you for eternity. i will nourish you with my energy, power, and magic." last year, she was arrested outside of baldwin's home.

she claims it was a misunderstanding that she and baldwin were once lovers. >> you want to go for closure with your ex-lover? you have a relationship and romance for months and months and we have many friends in common. it is normal. >> reporter: baldwin denies any relationship and described it like something out of a hitchcock movie. dr. reid molloy studies the psychology of stalking and believes modern celebrity culture may fuel the problem. >> the more the magazines humanize the celebrity figure the more it can reduce that space between the stalker and the celebrity figure. >> these stalkers believe the celebrities are actually talking directly to them. >> reporter: anyway, back to alec baldwin and genevieve who apparently first met in 2000 when he was in canada shooting >> "the ad -- "the adventures of pluto nash," and then years

later, they had dinner in new york. baldwin was married to his then-girlfriend and said that she was asking for acting advice. she claims they became intimate. >> are you a stalker? >> no, i'm not. >> no, i am not. >> he maintained a relationship with me while he was with her and that's why he created the fear like fear. get away from genevieve, she's dangerous. >> reporter: in court baldwin vehemently denied there was ever a sexual relationship at which point she screamed, "really?" the judge threatened to throw her out of court. she shouted, "he's lying to you." baldwin leaving court, clearly agitated. nick watt in los angeles. >> somebody is doing a lot of lying. >> oh, wow. >> very different take on what went down. >> there's not even one thing they agree on. >> a sexual relationship or none. >> or absolutely nothing, just one coffee meeting for questions about acting. >> apparently baldwin was really hard on her attorney, too. apparently he's a young guy and turning things around on him and saying, "i know you're nervous," telling the attorney, "i know you're nervous."

apparently he was really working him over. >> by the way, she's been charged with 24 counts of harassment and one count of stalking. interesting to see where this will go. >> sure is. coming up, some elementary school students in new york may be setting a trend for the rest of the nation. they are trading in burgers and chicken nuggets for an all-vegetarian cafeteria menu, and they seem to like it. the verdict is in. we will tell you which city, new new york or chicago, gets bragging rights for the tallest building in america. you are watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. : "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations.

babies aren't fully developed until at least 39 weeks. a healthy baby is worth the wait. ♪ >> no, no, no, no spinach. well, it may have been a tough

sell for shirley temple, but students in one elementary school are happily gobbling up their spinach and asking for more. >> hard to believe. their cafeteria switched from the usual fare to a healthier vegetarian menu and it seems to be working. >> reporter: at first glance it's like any other school cafeteria. but here at ps-244 in queens, new york, they are not serving up mystery meat. in fact, they have dropped meat from their menu altogether. this is the first public school in the country to serve only vegetarian options. >> it was never really initially about the vegetarianism as it was about helping them to understand that there's more choices out there. >> reporter: the idea controversial at first. >> we have had people saying, my kids are not vegetarians. why do they have to eat vegetarian meals? >> reporter: but the kids are eating it up. >> it tastes more than delicious. >> reporter: this has been the challenge for other schools that started to serve healthier food in cafeterias.

their options didn't taste quite this good. when the national school lunch program started to require participating schools to serve lower calorie meals last year, some students revolted at the result and some school districts backed out of the program saying they were losing tens of thousands of dollars of food students refused to eat. but at ps-244, the secret to getting students to actually like healthy food isn't just in the recipes. it's in education. with weekly classes teaching students about making nutritious choices. since the switch to a vegetarian menu this spring, the school claims to have fewer students classified as overweight and obese and better test scores and attendance rates but parents and teachers say the true purpose of the health push is to reach kids early, creating habits they hope will last a lifetime. marci gonzalez, abc news, new

york. completely switching gears, recognize these guys? probably not on the menu at the school we just profiled, but we love these things anyway. >> help yourself to one of those. >> i will. >> today nabisco is celebrating the 100th birthday of the mallomar. look at how much it has changed. purists argue it must be enjoyed vertically, tasting the graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate all at once. >> on november 13th, 1913, predating the federal reserve. >> it's that old, my goodness. one of the only cookies covered in pure chocolate. >> because it's real chocolate and such a thin coating, they aren't available in the summer months. only on store shelves between october and april. >> 85% of all mallomars are sold in new york city area. isn't that weird? >> why we like these and people across the country are like what are these things and they are baked at a single nabisco plant in ontario, canada. they are delicious. >> we love mallomars. >> cheers to mallomars. 100 years young today.

100 years young today. >> we love mallomars. >> cheers to mallomars. 100 years young today.

all right. time for "the mix," everybody. all right. time for "the mix," everybody. mom goes away and dad does goofy things with the kids. this is pretty goofy and pretty good. apparently he invented a game called candy challenge. he decided to put candy above the doorway and told his kids to get it. the 4-year-old and 3-year-old -- watch this. >> oh, my gosh. >> mom would have a heart attack. >> you have to love it, though. how in the world? >> check this out. >> come on, you can do it, logan. the candy challenge. >> oh, my god. >> they are like little spiderman. >> oh, my gosh! >> would you kill your husband if you came home and saw your kid doing that? >> absolutely. >> it is a cool game.

candy challenge. >> i can almost understand it because you run out of things to keep them occupied and tired. you can only challenge them to run around in the house less than a minute so many times before they get tired of that. >> too cool. >> that is cool. look at this, the coolest dog, first to ever climb mt. everest. coolest dog around. his name is ruffie. he was found in india and nursed back by his adopted owner. he could barely walk when they found him but once he was nursed back to health. he trekked ten days to get to base camp. there he is posing in triumph with all of the flags around him and the cutest thing. >> i wonder if he had socks or something on to protect from the salt. maybe a little oxygen, too. >> doesn't look like his owner is wearing a lot. i'm not sure what they were thinking. he did it and we have pictures to prove it.

pretty cool. this next guy is unbelievable. it is hard enough to play guitar well and basketball well. >> sure. you should know, you play guitar. >> i play both adequate. >> professional basketball player. >> thank you very much. ben laffs, 19-year-old from ohio. he is keeping the beat with the basketball, he is finger picking it without strumming. ♪ >> can you do that? >> yes. he can do this. two million hits on youtube. this guy is really talented, by the way. one of the youngest to compete in guitar championships in 2008. he has released three full-length albums. amassed 10 million hits on you tube. this one garnered 2 million alone. hats off to him. talented fella. >> 19 years old. good for him. another rescue dog to tell you about. this one is not because he climbed mt. everest but he can do cool tricks. he is a rescue dog. there he is climbing around on these sticks and jumping pole to pole. >> you expect that from a cat but not a dog.

this morning on "world news now"tic bl this morning on "world news now" arctic blast. it's feeling more like january or february as far south as georgia and texas this morning after a snowstorm slams the great lakes. today's extreme conditions coming up. struggling survivors. chaos in the philippines. those fighting to get out of the typhoon-ravaged area, and the challenge to get the basics in to those who need them. mothers paid to breast-feed their babies. the pros and cons of a controversial incentive. and superstar complaints. why lady gaga is upset after her picture landed in a popular fashion magazine. that is in "the skinny" on this wednesday, november 13th. ♪ >> announcer: from abc news this is "world news now" with john muller and diana perez. >> really has gotten cold in new york city.

i actually busted out the big bubble puffy jacket. put on my hat and gloves walking to the car. >> you did the whole thing. >> i did. at my age, i don't care about being fashionable -- i'm not worried about being macho. i'm a wimp. i want to be warm. you haven't been bundled up? >> i have been wearing my bubble coat for some time now but haven't gone so as far as the hat and gloves. we go from summer -- last week it was 70, and book, wintertime. -- and boom, it's the wintertime. that means winter from november to march. >> good times, good times. should we get to it? >> yes. >> we aren't the only ones. the arctic blast has reached the south. it brought the first few flakes of the season to raleigh, north carolina, and a few inches to the higher elevations. >> and it will be chilly as far south as georgia and alabama. ginger zee has more on this early taste of winter. >> reporter: the blowing, the snowing, the slipping, sliding,

and even salt trucks crashing. >> i can feel myself losing traction quite a bit. first snow of winter. >> reality set in. it's like already? now? really? >> reporter: a highway came to a standstill in northern indiana thanks to lake effect snow. the snow brought on a 20-car pileup in buffalo, new york. from the first flakes flying in worcester, massachusetts, to this little girl basking in well over a foot in southwest michigan. look at the temps slipping in the teens and 20s in the great lakes and the first full freeze from boston to new york city. the south is not spared. freezing as far south as dallas and atlanta to the gulf coast. while the 10 to 20-degree below-average chill will be short-lived, aaa is reminding us it is time to get vehicles going. keep cat litter or salt in case you get stuck. have a basic tool kit with pliers and a wrench and a penny. it is that simple to find out if

you need new tires. put a penny in your tire tread. put it head first. if you can see all of lincoln's head you need new tires if it is past his hairline your tires are fine. we're doing the test. i saw most of lincoln's head so this tire should be good for the season. there are 600,000 winter-related accidents every year. you want to get out and do the penny test on your car. ginger zee, abc news. >> well, as ginger said, it's been very cold overnight in the east. and folks in texas and the southeast will have a rude awakening with the arctic chill reaching them by morning. but most everywhere else will be dry. at least there's that. few spots of rain and new york. we have showers for you in south florida. >> 76 in miami, 47 d.c. boston 38. dallas 52. denver 67 and beautiful 83 in los angeles. if you had any questions about

the power of nature, take a look at these new satellite photos. this is one showing tacloban city in the philippines before the typhoon. green farmland, colorful buildings along the coast. check this out. this is what it looks like today. >> oh, my gosh. >> muddy, lifeless, nearly every one of the buildings gone. even the sea is brown. >> five days after typhoon haiyan struck, the delivery of relief supplies is speeding up. but tacloban city is one of the most desperate places on earth. filtering water through t-shirts. aid ships from the u.s. and elsewhere are on the way, but the need is enormous. more cargo ships are arriving at the airport where thousands are gathering. abc's terry moran was there. >> reporter: this was the waiting area of tacloban's airport. you can see the storm surge tore the place apart. believe it or not, this is one of the only places in the city that is still functioning. this is where people want to get to because this is where you can get out. >> the confirmed death toll is

under 2,000, but it's feared to be much higher. today many bodies will be buried in mass graves. we have learned that two americans are among the dead. the first tsa officer killed in the line of duty was remembered at a memorial service yesterday. gerardo hernandez shot to death earlier this month at a los angeles airport. the shooting suspect still in the hospital. his condition has been upgraded to fair. across the country, in queens, new york, another memorial for the victims of flight 587 that crashed 12 years ago, two months after the terror attacks of 9/11. 265 people perished when the plane went down just after takeoff. yesterday hundreds of family and friends visited the seaside memorial braving chilly rains and winds to place flowers on the walls. president obama's approval rating dropped to an all-time low. 54% disapprove of the job he's doing. 39% back president obama.

the latest poll shows the majority of americans, 52%, say the president is not honest and trustworthy. the approval numbers dropped since october 1st. that's when obama care was rolled out. this isn't going to make the president feel better. another high-profile democrat urging changes to obama care. that is former president bill clinton. he said people should be allowed to keep the health insurance they have. president obama had originally promised that would be the case but then he was forced to backtrack. >> i personally believe even if it takes a change in the law, the president should honor the commitment the federal government made to those people and let them keep what they got. >> later this week, the administration will tell us how many managed to enroll in the coverage despite the problems with the website. here's the thing, president obama during that exclusive nbc interview that he had last week, he did bring this up. he said, "i regret that there are people -- even if it is a small population, 5% of people that are eligible for obama care that are seeing they have to change their health care." he said, "i regret that we didn't craft the law correctly."

he seems to insinuate there was room to bring these people in and at least the health care that they have even though it is sub par, it doesn't even meet the minimum expectations that they will be able to bring in and grandfathered in the system. so he is saying essentially what everyone is saying he should do. >> he is saying they are looking in to administrative options. falling short of clinton saying if you have to pass a law, pass a law, but whatever you do, honor what you said. >> will it go that way? >> we will have to see. major health news about the way doctors treat patients with heart attack risks. more than 30 million americans take statins to lower cholesterol. the number now could double. here's abc's dr. richard besser. >> reporter: they are life-saving drugs. the best we have for lowering

the risk of heart attacks and strokes. statins. new guidelines that dramatically expand our use to one-third of all adults. >> we have always treated people who had a heart attack or stroke. we will treat many more millions people who have not had a first event. that's a big deal. >> reporter: among the changes statins will be recommended for all people with type 2 diabetes, ages 40 to 75 regardless of cholesterol. the old guidelines recommended a statin if your risk of having a heart attack was over 20%. and other guidelines consider race and sex. and recommend statins if your risk is 7.5%. yesterday a 55-year-old african-american woman with normal cholesterol and high blood pressure wouldn't go on a statin. today she would. >> treating more people makes sense. it is important, however, that we treat the right people. >> statins are generally safe. some people may experience muscle pain or risk of diabetes. if you are at low risk do you want to go on a drug to lower your risk any further? dr. richard besser, abc news, new york. new moms in parts of

england are paid to breast-feed their babies. it is part of a pilot program aimed at promoting the benefits of breast milk into women in deprived areas. mothers who nurse until the baby is six months old will receive shopping vouchers worth 300 bucks. doctors say the program rewards some moms but isolates others. >> certain number of mothers maybe at a disadvantage or feel bad because of this and these are the small number of moms that cannot breast-feed their babies. >> united kingdom has one of the worst breast-feeding ratings in the world. some say the incentive to breast-feed should not be money. while they are talking about that stuff in europe -- it's time to take a trip to the netherlands. this is our "favorite story of the day" and we are off to the tracks. >> down the stretch they come. it is a harness race but not only horses. there's a rabbit. you see him? >> yes. >> check out how fast he is. he takes first place. maybe that's not a surprise given the fact the rabbit wasn't

pulling anything. he took off at the end. he is like, "got it." >> maybe the horses are really pooped at this point. >> i'm still amazed at that rabbit. >> i have a feeling nobody was betting on the fact the rabbit was going to win, place or show. >> do you think he was saying, "you are not so fast," or you think he is running for his life? >> i wonder if we placed a harness like on the rabbit how fast he would go. >> still win. super rabbit little hare. picture of sexy sofia vergara. too racy for "modern family"? find out who took it. and who wins the title -- does new york or chicago have the nation's tallest building? we have an answer. you are watching "world news now." ♪ higher and higher >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by united health care. health care. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options.

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the verdict is in for kevin the verdict is in for kevin trudeau. it took a jury in chicago just 45 minutes to find the controversial author guilty of criminal contempt of court. >> he was on trial for lying about the content of his weight loss book and infomericals. >> reporter: kevin trudeau was all smiles when the day began but showed no emotion as the guilty verdict was read. >> we're disappointed in the verdict. we hoped it would come out the other way. >> reporter: there were hugs and tears from the crowds of supporters who attended his trial daily. >> this is a book everybody should have. >> reporter: some apparently traveling a long way. care to make a statement about the verdict? >> thousands of people around

the world whose lives are changing because of him, whether he is locked up or not. and i think that speaks volumes. >> reporter: prosecutors saw it differently. saying he misled people to buy diet books. >> would you like to lose up to ten pounds in the first 24 hours? >> reporter: the 50-year-old man was found guilty of contempt of court for violating a agreement with the federal government to stop airing the ads. his best-selling book, "the best cure they don't want you to know about," called for a grueling 500-calorie-a-day diet. including hormone injections to help lose weight. he lied about what his in his book says the prosecutor in his closing argument. they weren't little fibs. blatant misrepresentations. the defense contended they were no different from any other ad for any other product. >> he didn't misrepresent the content of the book because what was in the book was said in the infomerical. >> reporter: the judge will have wide discretion in sentencing. with no minimum or maximum punishment stipulated in the sentencing guidelines. at the same time, trudeau owes $37 million from a

civil judgment. the court is still trying to collect. abc news, chicago. rare move. listen to this. the judge revoked his bail and ordered the marshals to take him right to custody. white-collar defendants are usually allowed to wait. not this guy. took him right away. >> he will be sentenced in february. and another, i think, rare move because of lying, although the lies apparently -- there are many, many lies. and he affected a lot of people, anywhere from probation to life in prison. >> wow. >> i'm trying to wrap my mind around losing ten pounds in 24 hours. >> it is a mischaracterization of what is in the book. stop it, john. >> we will let the court decide on that one. i guess they already did. coming up, the superstar slamming a fashion magazine for fakery. a young star's intense criticism aimed directly at miley cyrus. it is coming up next in "the skinny." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. it is coming up ne

i ♪ skinny so skinny ♪ skinny so skinny ♪ welcome in "the skinny." lady gaga taking "glam our" to task. she was received an award on monday at the annual women of the year award. she took the stage and said of their airbrushing, "i felt my skin looked too perfect.

i felt my hair looked too soft. i do not look like this when i wake up in the morning." she went on to essentially challenge the magazine. she said i want to see the change on your covers. when covers change is when culture changes. >> i can respect it. i might look fantastic but it is not really me. >> agree. and i think lady gaga made her biggest statements when she said things like be herself to all of her little monster followers. her big thing is this is me, love me, leave me, whatever and you should feel the same way. i love to see her take these magazines that have for a long time had this problem with their covers and say come on, guys. she is so influential. good for her. >> good for this woman, too. jennifer lawrence, the 23-year-old star of "hunger games" she is a role model and takes it serious. she said sex may sell but she is not buying it. she told bbc news night, that sexualization of women like miley cyrus is not cool. listen to what she said. >> sex sells and for some disgusting reason young sex sells more. we have the ability to control

this image that young girls will be seeing. we need to make -- girls see enough of this body that we can't -- we will never be able to obtain. unrealistic expectations. >> jennifer lawrence said she makes conscious decisions to be a role model when it comes to her younger audiences and she thinks it is wonderful to be a role model and happy young girls have a character like that. my daughter loves this movie. she loves the character katniss. bravo to her. selena gomez said similar thoughts a few weeks back. things. neither one of them are being prudy. they are just saying you don't have to be gross. great message. >> they are not naming names but it seems to be directed at the all-famous, always over sexual blatantly miley cyrus and they are about as young as she is. miley is 19, she's 23. selena i think is 20. so that's great stuff.

a left turn from the sexualization of women. this is funny and the person at the center of this took pleasure in this as well. this is a tweet sent out by eric stonestreet of -- look. there he is. with his co-star sofia vergara. >> hello. >> they work together on the abc hit. this is something he tweeted with a caption that said, "ugh, work." obviously he was insinuating it is so difficult to work around sofia vergara's bum. that's what that's a picture of. she wrote back in another tweet, "eric," with an angry face emoticon. i think it was in jest and she's been funny and irreverent and fun to be around. >> creepy shot that people get arrested for like in the department store. >> he plays the gay character on

the show but is actually not gay. >> is that right? >> that's right. >> i love that. i was so convinced. at i was so convinced. th convinced. . then real people were asked to stay for a long weekend. would they smell anything? the room itself was like [sniffs] ahhh. feels like someone has pumped fresh oxygen into the room. [ male announcer ] on the last day we revealed everything. [ both ] oouugghhh. we were sitting right on it. febreze is stunningly effective. [ laughing ] [ male announcer ] pluggable febreze eliminates odors and keeps your home continuously fresh for up to 30 days, so you can breathe happy.

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♪ how beautiful is that? freedom tower in downtown manhattan. taking us higher and higher, the two tallest buildings in america. >> but it was down to the wire as to which was the tallest and now by official decree the winner is new york city. >> the decision may not have settled the matter entirely for many people. bob woodruff explains. >> reporter: when we climb to the top of the new one world trade, it felt like the top of the world. oh, my gosh. >> reporter: we know it will soon be officially the tallest building in america, beating out chicago's willis tower in a

fierce competition. when you line the two buildings up, the willis tower is 83 feet higher but when you add the freedom tower spire, it soars to a symbolic 1776 feet. the heated debate, does the spire count? the height committee's verdict, yes, it does. when one world trade is complete it will be the third tallest building in the world. number two, saudi arabia mecca royal clock tower and in dubai is number one. topping us by 941 feet. engineers today say there is no reason we cannot build a building that's a mile high. the biggest problem -- altitude sickness, but they can pressurize the air for that. mostly they are built out of pride, ego, hubris. here in new york, we have reasons all of our own. do you have a message to americans when they see this being rebuilt? >> i say be proud of what's going up. >> america should be proud

knowing that we did it every day for everybody. >> reporter: bob woodruff, abc news, new york. >> we took this debate to our facebook page. we got striking responses. >> first of all, many are refusing to call the former sears tower by the new name, the willis tower. that's what its called guys, sorry. christopher writes, i don't care who bought the naming rights to the sears tower. it will always be the sears tower to me. that said, timothy writes, i'm six feet without shoes and a hat. does wearing high heels and a british wedding hat make me seven feet? >> by pamela, i think it should be determined by building and not needles in the air. >> those who voted for new york were unabashed. nancy says one world trade center just because it deserves to be the tallest. >> that's the problem in a lot of people's mind

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making news in america this morning -- bitter cold. the late fall freeze blankets parts of the country. this morning, with snow falling even in the south. when will this cold snap end? desperation growing. the situation in the philippines getting more dire by the minute. new video of the destruction. plus, amazing before and after images. finally free. a man spends nearly ten years in prison for a murder he says he didn't commit. this morning, he's sharing his story. picture-perfect. a couple of daredevils going to extreme heights to get an amazing photo in wedding day attire. and good wednesday morning. we'll start this wednesday